Attack on Helgen
by reikat
Summary: A two-shot following my Dragonborn, Eriah Quintence, as she finds herself on the chopping block and finds herself face to face with her destiny, in the form of Alduin. Rated T to be safe
1. Chapter 1

Eriah Quintence groaned softly as consciousness came back to her. There was a dull throb on the back of her head. Her brown eyes struggled to open and when they did, she saw that she was in a wagon with her hands bound. It was being driven by an Imperial soldier and there was a second wagon in front of them. They were being escorted by more soldiers. Her traveling apparel was also gone, replaced with ragged clothing. She shared her wagon with three men. One was in rather fine apparel, hinting at a high rank. She noted with interest that, unlike the rest of them, he was gagged. The one in front of her wore what she recognized as the armor of the Stormcloak army. The last was in ragged clothes like she was. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she tried to remember how she ended up here. It didn't take long for her memory to return. "That's right. I walked into some sort of ambush. Perfect. Guess the civil war was a bigger deal than Cyrodiil made it out to be." she thought. That's when one of her companions saw she was awake. "Hey you. Finally awake. You tried to cross the border, right?" asked the blond Nord in front of her.

Eriah just nodded, still trying to piece together what exactly happened. Things had happened so quickly, she was on the ground unconscious before she had time to draw her own sword. "You walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us and that thief over there." the man said, jerking his head at the other man in rags. The Nord glared. "Damn you Stormcloaks. Skyrim was fine until you came along. The Empire was nice and lazy. If they hadn't been looking for you, I would've stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell." he all but growled at the Stormcloak soldier. He turned his attention to Eriah. "You there. You and me, we shouldn't be here. It's these Stormcloaks the Empire wants." he said. She had nothing to say to the horse thief. He was stupid enough to have actually tried to pinch a horse. She was merely returning to Skyrim after living in Cyrodiil since childhood. Her father was a jeweler and moved the family to Cyrodiil after she had been born. She decided to return to Skyrim because she wanted to know what her homeland was like. She was captured on account of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. She didn't even know where they were going or what hold they were in.

"We are all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief." the Stormcloak said. "Shut up back there." an Imperial soldier snapped. Eriah just rolled her eyes. That was the other reason she left Cyrodiil. The Imperial Legion talked a big game but they were in denial of the Empire's true standing in Tamriel anymore. The Aldmeri Dominion was in control now. The thief then looked to the gagged man. Eriah also looked over and studied him. Like many Nords, he had a powerful build. His hair was also blond like his compatriot. She wondered who he was. He was dressed pretty fancy for the wild but that came second to the fact that he had a bearish air about him. The man sensed her studying him and his eyes shifted to meet hers. Eriah felt her breath catch slightly. This man had power. Even thought he couldn't say anything, he still demanded respect. However, something deep within Eriah felt as if she had found a rival. No, not a rival. More like...a challenger. That confused her. The man broke eye contact as the thief spoke next. "What's wrong with him?" he asked, taking note of the gag.

"Watch your tongue! You're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King!" the Stormcloak snapped. Eriah raised her eyebrows as she looked at the man next to her. No wonder he radiated power. That still didn't explain why she perceived him as a challenger. That aside, she knew his name because it was being thrown around in Cyrodiil a ton, ever since news of the rebellion reached the capital. Now that she had a face to put to it, Eriah found herself rather impressed. The horse thief seemed as surprised as she did. "Ulfric? The Jarl of Windhelm? You're the leader of the rebellion. But if they captured you...Oh gods, where are they taking us?" he wondered. Eriah could sense his fear, another surprise. He wasn't hiding it but he was clearly panicking on the inside far more than he was showing. How did she know these things? "I don't know where we're going but Sovngarde awaits." the Stormcloak soldier said, resigned.

"No. This can't be happening. This isn't happening." the thief said. His fear was more pronounced but Eriah felt it rolling off him in waves. Why was this affecting her alone? Her head started to pound and she groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You okay, lass?" the Stormcloak asked, taking notice. Ulfric looked over at her as well. "I...don't know. My head is killing me and it's not just from the bump on the head I got, courtesy of the Empire." she all but hissed. Her eyes met the man next to her. His eyes were expressing concern as well as, oddly enough, caution. For what reason, she couldn't guess at. She was a nobody, compared to the valuable prisoners in the wagons with her. Still, his concern was touching. She was a stranger and he was the Jarl of Windhelm, a city in Eastmarch Hold in Skyrim's eastern territory. He was leagues above her and yet, he seemed to be more in touch with the common people than she assumed. It probably had to do with the fact that he led soldiers in the Great War thirty years ago. He would know how to interact with those beneath him. His reputation was well known, even to her. Fortunately, the pounding subsided and the thief's fear no longer seemed to be steamrolling her senses. "Odd." she mused before looking ahead. The caravan was approaching a walled village. "Where are we?" she wondered.

"Hey, what village are you from, horse thief?" the Stormcloak asked the other man, after he saw that Eriah's discomfort was over. "Why do you care?" the thief asked. "A Nord's last thoughts should be of home." the soldier replied. After a second's hesitation, the thief gave Rorikstead as his home village. The blond Nord then went to asked Eriah but they had reached the gates of the village and he fell silent as the driver called out to General Tullius, saying the headsman was waiting. Realizing she was heading for the chopping block, Eriah felt her breath leave as her own fear took hold. Her tongue felt like lead. She looked down at her feet and let the world fall away as her mind raced to make sense of her predicament. She heard only snatches of the Stormcloak's words. The words "Thalmor" and "Helgen" registered and her mind filled in the rest. Helgen, she knew, was a small village in Falkreath Hold so she was finally able to remember where she had been when she walked into that ambush. The Thalmor were agents of the Dominion and it seemed they were behind it. Damn elves indeed.

The caravan came to a halt and Eriah felt her heart rate spike. Ulfric was the first off the wagon, followed by the thief. Eriah moved like a wraith, following him off the wagon, with the Stormcloak bringing up the rear. She came a halt besides Ulfric who reached over and gave her arm a gentle, encouraging squeeze. That broke her out of her stupor and she locked eyes with him. He have her a stiff nod before turning his attention to the soldiers in front of him. With that one action, Eriah felt her courage bolster and she held her head a bit higher. A Nord Legionnaire got a quill ready, his captain next to him. "Empire loves their damn lists." she heard the Stormcloak curse beside her. "Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm." the Legionnaire said. The bear of a man walked forward, likely sending the young man a look of disappointment. After all, they were both Nords. "It has been an honor, Jarl Ulfric." the blond Nord beside her said. "Ralof of Riverwood." the Legionnaire then called.

"So that's his name." Eriah thought as her companion left her side. She saw the look of hostility on Ralof's face as he walked by the man. That sort of look only came from those who knew each other well enough to hate each other. At the very least, if they had a past together, then they disliked each other. "Lokir of Rorikstead." the man said, revealing to her the horse thief's name. "No! I'm not a rebel! You can't do this!" Lokir protested. Like a damn fool, he tried to run away. Naturally, he didn't get far. An archer got him in the back. Lokir's exercise in futility told Eriah she was likely not going to be spared. All that mattered to these people was the fact she was caught with the Stormcloaks by mere coincidence. Her death was all but assured. "Ma...Pa...I'm so sorry." she thought, looking down. Her relationship with her parents was good and they encouraged her to travel to Skyrim and get in touch with her Nord roots. She could only pray to Talos that the Legion would send her body to them.

The man with the list then turned his attention to her. "Wait. You, there. Step forward." he said. Eriah looked at him and did as she was told. She could feel the other prisoners' eyes on her. "Who are you?" the soldier asked. "Eriah Quintence." she replied. He wrote it down. "You picked a bad time to come home to Skyrim, kinsman." he said before turning to the officer next to him. "Captain, what should we do? She's not on the list." he said. "Forget the list. She goes to the block." she replied. Just as Eriah figured. She wasn't getting out of this. "By your orders, Captain." the soldier said. He turned a look of genuine pity on Eriah. "I'm sorry. At least you'll die here in your homeland." he said. His genuine look of sadness for her fate made Eriah rethink that perhaps not all Imperial soldiers were heartless. He seemed like a good man and her name not being on his list was probably cause enough for him to set her loose. As it were, it didn't matter. "Follow the captain, prisoner." the man then said. Eriah did just that and joined the small group of Stormcloaks waiting for execution. Her eyes locked with Ulfric's a fourth time and his eyes told her he was sorry she would share in his fate. For some reason, he gave her courage and she gave him a small, resigned smile.

The Jarl was then approached by General Tullius who looked the taller man straight in the eye. "Ulfric Stormcloak. Some here in Helgen call you a hero. But a hero doesn't use a power like The Voice to murder his king and usurp his throne." the older man said. Eriah looked at the Jarl, confused. She heard rumors that Ulfric had challenged High King Torygg to a duel in the old way and that he had somehow murdered him by shouting him to pieces. That seemed pretty fantastical, even for the Empire who loved their propaganda. How does a man kill by shouting? On some bizarre level, it explained why the Jarl alone was gagged. Ulfric grunted through the cloth, clearly displeased with the accusation. "You started this war, plunged Skyrim into chaos, and now the Empire is going to put you down, and restore the peace." Tullius continued. When he was finished, Eriah heard a distant roar. She clearly wasn't hearing things. Ulfric and several others reacted to it. What manner of beast made a sound like that?

"What was that?" asked a soldier nearby. "It's nothing. Carry on." the general said. "Yes, General Tullius!" the Legion Captain said, ready to carry out her orders. She turned to the priestess who was also present. "Give them their last rites." she said. The priestess did as bade and started to pray for their souls to be commended by the Eight Divines. That didn't sit well with a red-headed Stormcloak. "For the love of Talos, shut up and let's get this over with." he snapped, boldly walking forward to stand before the block. "Never knew a man to go to his death with impatience." Eriah mused. The man was pushed to his knees, his head going to the block. "My ancestors are smiling at me, Imperials. Can you say the same?" he asked as the headsman hefted his ax into the air. The Stormcloak's head was cleaved from his shoulders and Ralof said a small eulogy. The captain pushed the body aside and looked straight at Eriah. "Next, the Nord in the rags!" she commanded. Another roar echoed through the air and it sounded closer this time. "There it is again. Did you hear that?" the Imperial soldier from before asked. The Captain gave him a sharp look. "I said, next prisoner." she snapped.

The man looked at Eriah, an apology in his expression. "To the block, prisoner. Nice and easy." he directed. Eriah's legs felt like rubber as fear started building again. She walked forward, still feeling the eyes of the Jarl and the Stormcloaks on her. While the strange roars caused concern to nearly overtake her fear of death, Eriah decided that it no longer mattered and she should prepare herself for the afterlife. Would she be welcomed in Sovngarde where Shor's Hall was said to stand tall before a whale bone bridge? She was a simple jeweler's daughter, trained in the ways of the sword by her mother. Shor's Hall was where the heroes of old gathered in the Nordic afterlife. What right had she to mingle with them? "Talos...watch over my family. Akatosh preserve them." she prayed silently as she was pushed to her knees and her head met the block, sticky with blood. She let her eyes drift to the headsman and watched as he prepared to take her head. That's when she saw it.

Flying around the nearby mountains was a gigantic, winged black beast flying straight for them. "By the Nine." her mind gasped, fear stilling her tongue. Something deep down reacted to the beast's presence but it was overruled by her terror. "What in Oblivion is that!?" someone shouted. "Sentries, what do you see?" the captain asked. Her question was made pointless as the beast landed on the tower behind her, causing those who were standing to stumble as the landing shook the very ground. His red eyes zeroed in on Eriah. "Dragon!" she heard a woman yell. Eriah herself couldn't even breathe as the dragon pinned her with his gaze. He opened his mouth and a shock wave from his jaws sent the headsman stumbling to the ground. It sounded like thunder. Eriah felt as if her body had been hit hard by solid force. Suddenly, her mind flashed back to when she was a child reading about dragons and their Voices, how they used Words of Power to do battle. As her tutor put it, a battle between dragons was a deadly verbal debate. In ancient times, dragons ruled Tamriel and Shouted down Man who tried to prove their Voice was also strong.

A small part of her realized the legends were all true and the force she felt when the dragon opened his jaws was a Shout. The sky above turned cloudy and fiery rocks started falling from the sky. The Imperial soldier who took her name got in front of her, his sword drawn. He meant to protect her from the beast. The dragon Shouted again and Eriah nearly blacked out from the sheer force. All hell broke loose. Eriah scrambled to her feet, her brown eyes on the black dragon as he took flight and starting raining death from above. She heard Ralof shouting for her and she focused on his voice. He called her from a tower on the opposite side of the one the block was in front of. Eriah tripped and nearly fell but Ralof grabbed her arm and all but threw her into the tower, slamming the door closed as he followed her in. Ulfric was there as well, free of his bindings and gag. Several other Stormcloaks, a couple wounded, were also there. "Jarl Ulfric, what is that thing? Could the legends be true?" Ralof then asked his commander. "Legends don't burn down villages." Ulfric replied solemnly.

Eriah tried to block out the sounds of death and dragon fire but with her wrists still bound, she couldn't manage it. She couldn't stop pacing, not even when someone said they needed to move. Ulfric firmly gripped her upper arm as she paced past him and he pushed her in Ralof's direction. "Get her out of here. This one is here by no fault but ours. Do what you can to get her out of Helgen. I will stay here and care for the wounded." he ordered. Ralof went to protest but thought better of it. "Let's go, lass. Up the stairs." he said, pushing her ahead. Eriah reined in her chaotic thoughts and knew she had to trust that he would get her out of this mess. They reached the midpoint of the tower when a hole was punched into the wall. The black dragon was outside and Ralof managed to catch Eriah around the waist before she ran into the stream of fire he issued from his jaws, shielding her with his body. After the dragon flew off to continue his attack, Ralof moved to the collapsed wall and looked out. "See that inn on the other side? Jump through the roof and keep going." he ordered.

The young woman looked at him as if he were joking. "Are you insane!?" she protested. "Do as I say, lass! I'm going to go back and help Jarl Ulfric! I will find you later!" Ralof shot back. Eriah knew better than to continue arguing. Ralof clearly wanted to rejoin his commander and there was no time for him to cut her loose. Taking a deep breath, Eriah backed up a few steps and ran. She leaped out of the tower into the damaged inn. She fell into a roll, just as her mother taught her, and got to her feet. She made her way down to the ground and out onto the street. The black dragon was still causing mayhem, Shouting and roaring at those fighting him. The Imperial soldier from before called her over. As she joined him, the dragon landed a few yards away, forcing them and a couple others to get out of the way of his fire. "Still alive, prisoner? Stay close to me if you want to stay that way." he said. Eriah kept an eye on things while the soldier told an old man to get a boy to safety while he went to rejoin Tullius in defending Helgen. "Gods guide you, Hadvar." the old man said, revealing the soldier's name to Eriah at last.

Hadvar led the way after the dragon took off, the young woman on his heels. She noticed that the dragon seemed to have it in for her personally. It was an odd notion. According to legend, dragons were all about destruction and domination. Mortals were ants to them. They killed whom they chose with no regard for anything unless the mortal slighted them. She had never seen a dragon, much less this one, in her life so she had no idea why he seemed to be after her. Hadvar seemed to leading her to the keep. It was on the way that they encountered Ralof. "Ralof, you damned traitor! Out of my way!" Hadvar snarled at him, Eriah coming to a pause near them. "We're escaping, Hadvar. You're not stopping us this time!" Ralof snapped back. "Fine! I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovngarde!" Hadvar cursed them before running off. Ralof ran up to Eriah who decided, since Hadvar seemed to have forgotten about her, to stick with her savior. "This way, lass!" he said, leading the way into the keep. Eriah followed him and he slammed the door shut.


	2. Chapter 2

In the keep, Eriah heaved as she caught her breath. Ralof saw the body of a shield-brother and had gone over to it. "We'll meet again in Sovngarde, brother." he said, closing the soldier's eyes. His fellow ex-prisoner could still hear the sounds of the dragon attack but thanks to the keep's thick stone walls, it was muted. Now that she had a chance to catch her breath, she had to wonder how many others made it out alive. Did the Jarl survive? Would Hadvar? The former, Eriah felt, would prove to be way too stubborn to die here, especially if he was a typical Nord. She had a feeling that this wasn't the last she had seen of Ulfric Stormcloak. If he managed to get out, it was likely he'd return to Windhelm and pull his forces together to continue the fight with the Empire. The big question was did he intend to do anything about the dragon? Would anyone. Speaking of the winged menace plus her near execution, Eriah could've gone her whole life without either happening.

Deciding to focus on escaping, she started pulling at her bindings. "Looks like we're the only ones who made it. That thing was a dragon no doubt. Just like the children's stories and the legends. The harbingers of the End Times. We better get moving. Come here. Let me see if I can get those bindings off." Ralof said. Eriah came over as he drew a dagger he must've lifted from a dead body. He took her bound hands in one of his, slid the blade between her wrists, and cut them loose. "Finally." Eriah said, rubbing her wrists gingerly. She had a nasty rope burn. Now that adrenaline and fear weren't pumping through her veins, they started to sting. "Now that we're safe for the moment, let's introduce ourselves more properly. I'm Ralof of Riverwood and a soldier of the Stormcloak army." he said, turning to pull the armor off his dead shield brother. "Eriah Quintence." she replied. "And where do you hail from?" he asked, standing up again with the armor in his arms. "I was born in Skyrim but was raised in Cyrodiil. My father is a jeweler and my mother taught me swordsmanship. I came to Skyrim looking to get in touch with my homeland, maybe even find a home here to belong. Cyrodiil, especially with this war going on, felt less like home to me." Eriah explained.

Ralof hummed. "Hadvar was right about one thing. You did come to Skyrim at a bad time. However, I do apologize that you got caught up in this mess." he said. "It's okay. Neither of us knew what would happen." Eriah said. Ralof cracked a smile and held the armor out to her. "Take Gunjar's armor. It's not going to do him any good now and you need to have better protection. Take his ax as well. It may not be a sword, but it's the best we have right now." he instructed. Eriah took the clothes and armor from him and he turned his back to give her some privacy. She slowly removed the rags she woke up in and got into the Stormcloak outfit. For his credit, Ralof didn't even look at her as she prepared herself, preoccupied as he was with escaping. They weren't out of the woods yet and both knew they could be discovered at any moment. The thing about keeps was that the lower they went underground, the less likely anyone within would know what was going on topside. "I'm ready." Eriah said, hanging the ax from a loop on her belt. Ralof turned and nodded approvingly. "You do the uniform justice, Eriah. You should consider joining the cause." he said.

"First things first. We need to get out of here." she said. "Right." her companion said. He headed for the door nearby and tugged on it. "Locked. Let's try the one over there." he said, heading to the opposite side. "Damn! No way to open this from our side." he cursed. Eriah felt as frustrated as he sounded. She didn't go through all that trouble just get stuck now. That's when they saw a couple Imperials coming their way. They quickly ducked on opposite sides of the gate. They wordlessly agreed that this was their ticket out. Together, they could handle the soldiers coming their way. When the Imperials opened the gate, Ralof and Eriah engaged them using the element of surprise. A short fight later, the two companions were victorious. Eriah took the captain's sword and felt its familiar weight. "This is more like it." she said, looting the scabbard and sheathing the blade. "There may be more inside the keep. Let's proceed with care and loot anything of use." Ralof said, looting the key to the locked gate from the body of the captain. With that, they went to the gate, unlocked it, and journeyed further in.

They headed downstairs to a hallway. A rumbling shook the walls unexpectedly, causing the ceiling to cave in, blocking the exit. "Watch it!" Ralof shouted, once again catching Eriah around the waist and shielding her. "For the love of Talos!" she cursed, feeling slightly humiliated that this kept happening. If it were any other time, she'd accuse Ralof of not being able to keep his hands to himself. Still, this was a life or death situation and she couldn't afford to go off on her companion. She owed him her life more than once so she just shook it off as the Nord went to inspect the damage. "Damn that dragon." Ralof cursed. Fortunately, there was another door just before the cave-in and they proceeded through it. There had to be another way out. The next room yielded more Imperial troops which Eriah and Ralof made quick work of. They looted the bodies and the room for healing potions and anything else they could use.

They discovered a torture room where a couple Stormcloaks were engaged with Imperials. Ralof and Eriah aided them. "Was Jarl Ulfric with you?" the blond Nord asked his shield-sister. "No. I haven't seen him since the dragon showed up." she replied before she and her companion split off to search the place some more. Ralof and Eriah continued their escape. "I hope the Jarl made it out." the soldier said. "If his reputation is anything to go by, I'm sure he did." Eriah said, setting a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks, lass. I'm proud to the serve the man. Since I heard you invoke Talos's name, I assume you believe in his godhood as well?" he asked as they continued to find their way. "I grew up believing in him. My family wasn't bold enough to proclaim it openly but if there is one thing about the Thalmor, it's this. They can't know what goes through a man's mind. We worshiped Talos in our minds and thus we were never accused of breaking the law." Eriah explained. "A Nord should proudly proclaim his beliefs, lass. How else are others to know where you stand?" Ralof mused. "Whether it's in silence or shouted from the mountaintops, the Divines know our hearts. That was good enough for my family." she replied.

Silence fell between the companions as they found themselves in the keep's underbelly. It was mostly a natural cavern with a touch of human workmanship to make it usable. They killed the Imperials there and moved forward. They reached another part of the cave and the ceiling caved in behind them. "No going back that way now." Ralof said. Eriah followed him down the stairs and they pressed onward. Following the underground stream, with sun shining through natural openings of the roof, both noticed that things were quiet up on the surface. "I think the dragon is gone." Eriah said. "Could very well be. Helgen is likely a charred wreck by now. Talos preserve the kinsmen who survived." Ralof agreed. The next area of the cave yielded a battle with some Frostbite Spiders. "We're almost there, lass. Just a little further ahead." said the man. They were just about to continue on when Ralof saw it.

"Hold up. There's a bear just ahead. See her?" he whispered. Eriah spotted it as well and swore under her breath. Would the obstacles never cease. "We could either sneak by or kill her. Your call, lass." Ralof said. "Give me your bow. I don't have the patience for sneaking around." Eriah said, holding her hand out. Her eyes on the bear, she felt Ralof hand her the bow and an arrow. Notching it onto the string, she pulled the arrow back and steadied her breathing. She knew the basics of archery and the bear was practically an easy target. She was snoozing away in a sunny spot on the cave floor, unaware of the Nords nearby. Aiming for the animal, Eriah let the arrow fly. It hit right on target. The bear had only time enough to give a pained roar before she fell dead. Eriah went to it and skinned it. She had found a number of septims laying around the keep and figured the bear's pelt would add a little more to her purse. "For a jeweler's daughter, you know a lot of outdoorsy skills." Ralof said, joining her. "I was taught a few tricks by my mother when I was fourteen, saying that I'd never know when I need them. She was right." Eriah said as they continued on to the exit.

They emerged into the sun at last and things were indeed quiet. They spotted the black dragon flying away from Helgen towards the mountains and ducked out of sight. "There he goes. Looks like he's gone for good this time. No way to know if anyone else made it out alive. But this place will be swarming with Imperials soon enough. We better clear out of here." Ralof said. "Good idea. I've had my fill of Imperials for now." Eriah agreed. The companions started heading for the main road seen in the distance. "So where are we going?" she asked. "My sister, Gerder, runs the mill in Riverwood just up the road. I'm sure she'll help you out." Ralof replied. "Are you sure it's safe to go there. My geography isn't the best but isn't your hometown just over the border into Whiterun Hold? It's not that far from Helgen." Eriah said. "The Imperials will be too busy dealing the aftermath to worry about escaped prisoners. Whiterun is also neutral when it comes to the war. Jarl Balgruuf the Greater will not allow troops from either side into Whiterun. I think we should be safe. We can lay low for a bit while you decide your next move. I plan on returning to Windhelm, reporting to Jarl Ulfric, and getting back to service." her companion replied.

Eriah felt a little saddened that their companionship would soon end. She didn't know him very well but she considered him a friend after their shared experience in Helgen. She decided to dig for information about why the Stormcloaks were fighting and for info on Ulfric himself. She was starting to consider joining the cause but she needed to know more about the conflict so she could make an informed decision. While she disagreed with the ban on Talos worship and the Aldmeri Dominion forcing the Empire to sign the White-God Concordant, there were still good things about the Empire. Her father's business thrived and they had lived comfortable lives since the Great War's end thirty years ago. Still, that same Empire consigned her, an innocent person, to the chopping block for no reason other than being in the same area as the Stormcloaks. There was also the dragon to consider. Eriah felt, deep down, that the attack wasn't a one-off deal. That dragon had the look of a lord with his curved horns, which made it likely he had a name that was recorded somewhere. She tried to think back to all the dragon books she read as a child because he had struck a cord of familiarity with her.

She still didn't know why. It was like her soul knew that dragon and she had felt a subtle pull towards him. One of awe, as if she beheld a god. If not for her terror and the chaos of the attack, Eriah was sure the pull would've been lot stronger. It was almost funny. The dragon had saved her life as much as Ralof had. He had come in at the right time to stop her execution. He may have been after her specifically but thanks to him, the Imperials were denied their chance to end the rebellion with Ulfric's head on a pike. "You've been quiet for a while now, lass. Everything alright?" her companion asked. "Yes, sorry. I was just thinking about what had happened. I wonder if anyone made it to Riverwood ahead of us and warned them of the dragon." Eriah replied. "We'll know when we get there. Was that it?" Ralof then inquired. "I was also thinking about hearing you out on the Stormcloaks. Can you give me something to work on so I can see if the rebellion really has Skyrim's interests at heart?" she questioned.

"Sure thing, lass. Let's get to my sister's home first and I will answer any questions you have. I owe you that much for all your help." Ralof promised. "I'll hold you to it, then. And thank you for helping me escape." Eriah said, giving him a small smile. The man grinned back. "The feeling is mutual. Thank you for trusting me with your life. You'd make a fine Stormcloak if I manage to convince you that Jarl Ulfric's cause is right." he said. "That depends on how well you explain your side." she playfully jabbed. That's when the reality of the escape caught up to her and her knees gave out. Ralof noticed she had fallen behind and looked back. He half-jogged back to see what was up. "Are you hurt?" he asked. "No. I guess...it finally hit me that we're still alive. I almost can't move for the sheer relief." she said, running a hand through her shoulder-length brown hair. Ralof laughed for a moment before reaching out a hand. "Here. I'll help you the rest of the way." he said. Eriah took his hand and he pulled her to her feet. Wrapping her arm around his neck, his arm wound around her waist and he helped her keep walking.

She let her eyes fall to the road, watching it pass under their footsteps. She felt drained of energy and the dragon's Shout that hit her twice when he appeared left her body feeling rather sore. It was like getting thrown into a wall by a giant. "Riverwood's just ahead, lass. Hang in there." Ralof said, encouragingly. He had picked up on his companion's growing weakness and knew she needed rest. They both did. He didn't know where she'd go next but his plan was to recover for at least three days before making his way to Windhelm. If Ulfric had survived Helgen and wasn't picked off by either the dragon when he flew away or nabbed by Thalmor Justicars on the road, he would be there. The Nord could only hope that Eriah was right and Ulfric had gotten away. He didn't doubt his commander's ability to handle himself in a fight. He rounded a bend and a smile broke out on his face as his hometown into view. "We made it, Eriah. Once we find Gerdur, you'll be able to rest." he said. "Thank you." came her whispered response. With that, the companions headed towards the town, Eriah's mind full of all the past events and the memory of the Jarl's eyes being the most prominent.


End file.
